CORRECTION

Jason Honea, 26, and Jeremy Miles, 42, were arrested Thursday after the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office accused the two of installing illegal gambling games at their Players Club 777 store located at 824 S. Tamiami Trail in Osprey.

Deputies said the investigation was started in January after several citizens complained of gaming establishments that had re-opened after a Florida law made so-called “Internet Cafes” illegal.

Legislators passed the law in 2013 after arcades and strip-mall stores began installing illegal gambling devices that looked like casino-style games. The issue thrust into the state spotlight in 2012, when 57 such shop owners were arrested as part of a federal and state investigation into the Allied Veterans charity. The charity operated multiple gambling locations and — although it claimed to be a charity — collected $300 million in revenue but only donated $6 million to charity.

During the investigation into the Players Club, undercover detectives went into the store multiple times to evaluate the gaming machines being used.

The Players Club said it eliminated the element of chance in its games by pre-revealing entries to each customer and what is won or lost in advance of any purchase. But detectives determined that the unpredictability had not been removed from the game itself.

None of the casino-style games used any form of player-involved skill, deputies said.

The gaming machines and networked technology in the Players Club also allegedly consisted of electronic sweepstakes software. Authorities said the shop had submitted an application to use the software in its store, but the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services rejected the application.

A search warrant executed at the Players Club in June resulted in the seizure of numerous gaming apparatuses and servers and computers from the business office.

Honea was the registered agent and manager of the corporation that ran the Players Club. Miles was the manager of the Players Club.

Both men were charged with conducting an illegal lottery, possession of a slot machine or device, and keeping a gambling house.

Both men were released from custody on Thursday, the same day they were arrested.

<p><em>OSPREY</em> - Two Sarasota men were arrested after an eight-month investigation revealed they were running an illegal gambling operation out of their Osprey-based business, deputies say.</p><p>Jason Honea, 26, and Jeremy Miles, 42, were arrested Thursday after the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office accused the two of installing illegal gambling games at their Players Club 777 store located at 824 S. Tamiami Trail in Osprey.</p><p>Deputies said the investigation was started in January after several citizens complained of gaming establishments that had re-opened after a Florida law made so-called “Internet Cafes” illegal. </p><p>Legislators passed the law in 2013 after arcades and strip-mall stores began installing illegal gambling devices that looked like casino-style games. The issue thrust into the state spotlight in 2012, when 57 such shop owners were arrested as part of a federal and state investigation into the Allied Veterans charity. The charity operated multiple gambling locations and — although it claimed to be a charity — collected $300 million in revenue but only donated $6 million to charity.</p><p>During the investigation into the Players Club, undercover detectives went into the store multiple times to evaluate the gaming machines being used.</p><p>The Players Club said it eliminated the element of chance in its games by pre-revealing entries to each customer and what is won or lost in advance of any purchase. But detectives determined that the unpredictability had not been removed from the game itself.</p><p>None of the casino-style games used any form of player-involved skill, deputies said.</p><p>The gaming machines and networked technology in the Players Club also allegedly consisted of electronic sweepstakes software. Authorities said the shop had submitted an application to use the software in its store, but the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services rejected the application. </p><p>A search warrant executed at the Players Club in June resulted in the seizure of numerous gaming apparatuses and servers and computers from the business office.</p><p>Honea was the registered agent and manager of the corporation that ran the Players Club. Miles was the manager of the Players Club.</p><p>Both men were charged with conducting an illegal lottery, possession of a slot machine or device, and keeping a gambling house.</p><p>Both men were released from custody on Thursday, the same day they were arrested.</p>